Mountain Music Fest Preview 2016
June 2-4, 2016, Ace Adventure Resort, Minden, WV
Written by B.A. Jones
Do you love phenomenal music and amazing adventure? Yes? So do I! Mountain Music Fest WV is upon us again! Held at Ace Adventure Resort in Minden WV, June 2 – 4, this one of a kind festival is not to be missed. This year it starts on Thursday June 2, and kicks off with The Hornitz and Big Something. Nestled in the mountains and rivers of WV, this venue is obscenely gorgeous and has so much to offer. Tent camping next to the mountaintop stage is free, but there are a couple of options if you have some money to upgrade. Most of the cabins and chalets are sold out, but there are a couple of 2 bedroom chalets are still available, as well as a few cabin tents and bunkhouses. If you are interested in these options, call 1-800-787-3982 now to reserve before they are gone!
There are also day passes available, but why not enjoy every band? The Thursday pre- party begins with The Hornitz, and ends with Big Something! This year Strange Coffee Co. will be vending in the mountaintop tent campground, and are sponsoring a stage for some intimate music as well. There’s live music down at the lake too, in Wonderland Waterpark, along with the enormous stage atop the mountain festival grounds which open at 4pm each afternoon. Bands performing on the Strange Stage are Hillbilly Carnival, Clinton Scott, and The Kind Thieves.
There is a beach party on Saturday, that is included in the price of your 2, or 3 day passes! Swim, zip-line into the lake, slides, and tons of inflatable equipment to play on, all while enjoying live music!!! The beach party starts at 10amSaturday morning. Bands playing on the Lake Stage next to Wonderland Waterpark are : Groove Fetish, Fat Cheek Kat, Yum Yum Beast, and Major & The Monbacks.
Bands gracing the main stage on the mountaintop are immensely talented, and include Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Cabinet, The Infamous Stringdusters, and Trampled By Turtles on Friday. Saturday’s bands are equally gifted, like Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Dumpstafunk, Galactic, and Lotus! The mountaintop festival grounds also include vendors, and an artists’ tent, chock full of genius craftsmen. You can browse and buy their artwork and prints, or watch them paint live, as the music generates their spirited masterpieces.
There is truly so much to experience, you will want to come year after year just so you can attempt every endeavor they have to offer. Adventure truly is everywhere at this venue! You can enjoy several activities at no additional cost, such as hiking, a paint ball area, fishing, and a disc golf course! Also there is a mud run Saturday morning that requires donations from teams, to be contributed to a local charity. Be sure to get a map of the resort (check in the Welcome Center when you arrive) for secret spots and amazing views. If you are a waterfall lover like me, take the Arbuckle Creek hiking trail, and witness the majesty of three waterfalls, including a double waterfall!
Paid adventures are extra, and from heart pounding to relaxing, they have one for every appetite. These endeavors include a kids camp, stand up paddle boarding, mountain biking, rock climbing, zip-lining, and white water rafting. Where else can you set off on an adventure with entire bands? Nowhere! Friday morning at 11:30am is the check in for a zip-line tour with Trampled By Turtles. That’s right, you can delight in the vistas with Trampled By Turtles! How’s that for recreational entertainment? Saturday June 3rd offers two more extraordinary experiences. There’s river rafting with Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band (check in at 11am), and a Big Fat Zip Trip with Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band at 11:30.
You can learn a new skill or hobby attending one of their free workshops as well! You can attend a yoga & edibles (cures and ailments treated with herbal medicines) talk workshop to relax and discuss edibles @ the main stage starting at4:20 on Friday. At 5 there’s a slack line orientation with Slack- Librium at the festival grounds. then at 7:45 there’s a workshop on painting with everyday objects with the astonishing artist, Leslie Caneda, at the artists’ tent. On Saturdayworkshops include a yoga session at the main stage, and a zen doodle – meditation workshop at 10am with Jessica Camilli at the artists’ tent. 11am is a Mindfulness In The Morning workshop @ Wonderland Waterpark, a Blob competition at the waterpark, then an Intro To Slack-lining also at the waterpark. There’s a Hoop Jam on the beach at 2pm with Blue Skye Hoop, then at 3 there’s an Intro To Poi Spinning @ Wonderland Waterpark! At 4 when the festival grounds open up, there’s an Art Lettering 101 with Bryan Stacy @ the artists’ tent. Also at 4pm, there’s a Slack-line Fitness workshop at the waterpark.
With more to do than any one person can see, Mountain Music Fest WV is an explorer’s dream. Paired with remarkable people, and astounding music, this festival has everything you’ve ever wanted at the same spot. Add in flushing toilets in the venue and campgrounds, as well as free showers, and you have a festival lovers dream come true. Buses run from lakeside at the base of the mountain (I call it “downstairs”) to the peak all day and night to shuttle you back and forth from your excursions, for free! MMFWV is the pinnacle of relaxation, recreation, and entertainment, and I sincerely hope to see you there. Have fun with friends and meet wonderful new people at Ace Adventure Resort, and live the high life at Mountain Music Fest. They sell wood for campfires at the Welcome Center, and sell beer for your campsite at the Camp Store. I couldn’t ask for more, and it is an experience you will cherish for a lifetime. So if you don’t have a ticket, drop by the Welcome Center at Ace Adventure Resort June 2, be spontaneous. Come obtain the enlightenment your soul deserves, and discover what wild and wonderful is all about.
B. A. Jones
